President Pervez Musharraf is facing his gravest test as ruler of Pakistan since seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

The general - who now finds himself centre stage in an international crisis - was born in Delhi in August 1943.

His family emigrated to Pakistan during the partition of the Indian sub-continent.

His rise through the ranks came despite the fact that he does not belong to the predominantly Punjabi officer class of the Pakistani army - but to an Urdu-speaking family in Karachi.

He began his military career in 1964.

Early on, he reportedly commanded artillery and infantry brigades before going on to lead various commando units.

He reportedly underwent two spells of military training in the UK and was appointed director-general of military operations by the now-exiled former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, before taking full charge of the armed forces.

Top job

General Musharraf rose to the top job in 1998 when Pakistan's powerful army chief, General Jehangir Karamat, resigned two days after calling for the army to be given a key role in the country's decision-making process.

Prime Minister Sharif: Increasing tension with general

It was the first time an army chief of staff has ever stepped down and many observers took it as a sign that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's political power had become strong enough to secure the long-term future of civilian administrations.

Some independent commentators suggested that General Musharraf's promotion came precisely because he did not belong to the Punjabi officer class.

They say the Prime Minister believed that Musharraf's ethnic background would leave the general unable to build a powerbase.

Kashmir crisis

During the Kashmir crisis in 1998, General Musharraf was regularly seen briefing the media and making appearances on state television.

But while he said that Pakistan-backed militants were preventing Indian gains, he and other senior generals were reportedly increasingly angry at the prime minister's attempts to find a diplomatic way out of the crisis.

Mr Sharif's moves led to speculation that the military did not have the full political backing of the government and he eventually ordered a full withdrawal.

General Musharraf was the first senior figure to acknowledge that Pakistani troops had entered the Indian-administered sector during the fighting.

Previously, Pakistan had said that the forces had all been Islamic militants determined to take territory from the other side of the Line of Control.